We were here as part of a Nature Foundation of Wisconsin outing so we were lucky to have the park's…read moresuperintendent as one of our tour guides. We hiked along the trail that overlooked both the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. It was beautiful. Lots of interesting birds, plant life and history. There are many beautiful vistas and historic/ geographical plaques and markers to help explain the area. The flood marker at the boat launch was impressive. We were only here for the day but we could see how this is a popular place for camping. We understand in summer that the mosquitoes can be fierce - lucky we were here in May. We brought our picnic lunch to the far south end of the park at the Henneger Point picnic area and had it to ourselves. A very nice state park.

This is a really nice park for easy hikes with outstanding views…read more Lookout point is a must with a beautiful view of the Wisconsin river flowing into the Mississippi. The sand caves loop is an easy shaded hike perfect for hot days (with bug repellent). Driving down to the boat landing also give an interesting view from the fishing platform. Overall a really nice park.

Lots of amazing trails. The overlooks are fantastic. Trails shared with horses and Mtn bikes. Love…read moreit. No motorized bikes or ATVs. Cannot climb fire tower. Drive from Dubuque is gorgeous all the way. About 1.5 hours. Americana towns to stop and eat or shop little antique or resales.

I first camped here in the early-mid 1980's, and returned here last year with my son for a camping…read moretrip. This is the largest contiguous forest in Iowa, which is near the bluffs of the Mississippi River. It is also fairly isolated - spotty phone service, and buy all supplies before you arrive. The campgrounds are loops with little shade overall, but the nearby bluffs, trails, and fishing are what bring people. Toilets are pit toilets that were cleaned daily when we camped in the middle of the week, but they are pit toilets. No showers, sinks, or electricity. You fill out a form and stuff that and $8 into a little slot on a board with the site #'s posted above the slot This place is gorgeous. The trails are on bluffs high above the campground and the scenery is spectacular. You would never guess this is Iowa. It is also near the Effigy Mounds National Monument, a prehistoric burial site built by Native Americans over 1000 years ago. This is a place to camp and visit if you want to see some of the less-visited State Forests and Parks in the midwest.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place before starting to research a spring break trip…read more Effigy national monument is super close to Minnesota and should be a must see, must visit for anyone living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or Illinois within three hours. There's no entrance fee, but there's still several friendly and helpful rangers at the station as well as the museum explaining the significance. It is a very culturally important site to come up with mound stating back more than 1000 years. The scenery is outstanding. Is it the confluence of two rivers, you can see far and either direction if you hike to several of the scenic landing spots. We put in a good 5 mile hike and didn't even reach all of the places. It's great for history, cultural, and hiking. Highly recommend.

As my first Yelp review in the state of Iowa, Effigy Mounds National Monument was created in 1949…read moreby a proclamation from President Truman (National parks have to be created via an act of Congress, while a monument can be done with just the President). Its original size was about 1,000 acres, with historians believing Native Americans started building them in the shape of animals during 750 to 1200, well before European contact. The visitor center and museum is open daily from 9 - 4:30, with plentiful parking along the large circular driveway. Volunteers at the visitor center were friendly and helpful, giving us a brief history of the site. There are long hikes emanating from the visitor center. We didn't go very far, instead walking on wooden land bridges to get close to nearby mounds. and then turning back to the parking lot.

A great place to stop while taking the Mississippi River Trail by car, Pikes Peak State Park…read moreprovides the best views of the River that my wife and I found during our 10 day road trip. It was definitely worth the stop and short walk along the wooden bridge boardwalk to see a small waterfall along the way. The state park was established in 1935, and is named after the same explorer (Zebulon Pike) that the summit in Colorado is named after.

Beautiful, very nicely maintained park overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin…read morerivers. Short walk to bridal veil falls along a wooden boardwalk is worth it. Lots of birds. Lovely, serene spot.

Pretty cool little excursion in LaCrosse. Easy drive up. Not a lot of signs alerting which…read moreparking lot is for the highest vantage point so my tip to you: drive through the open gates and drive until you see a parking lot with a gazebo-esque type outdoor building and that will be the highest point. Quick walk out to the edge. Some wild flowers added to the experience. It was a beautiful morning. Very clear and we were able to see the Mississippi river, Minnesota and of course Wisconsin. Worth taking the half hour to take in this view.

10/14/23 - we were in LaCrosse and saw that there was an overview of LaCrosse from the bluff. You…read moreneed to drive up a short distance to an overview that gives you a great panoramic view of the city below. In addition you can see the Mississippi River w/LaCrosse on one side & Minnesota on the other side. Such a beautiful overview of the town, trees, hills, Mississippi River, train tracks & an eagle soaring above the cities on the wind currents (so cool & majestic) Granddads Bluff is a short run uphill to an overlook going through a hairpin turn on the way to the overlook. Great way to spend a few minutes seeing the sights below w/the beginning of the fall colors. It would have been nicer coloration in a few more days

Not only is this a valuable asset for the American economy but a very interesting and clean…read morefacility. Great park. Great to watch rages go through locks.

The lock is an awesome place to visit and view how our river systems work and the history behind it…read moreall. Also an awsome place to be able to fish as well very very clean and well maintained. we venture every year around the end of March to fish and watch the barges traverse the locks.

This is a hidden gem! The campgrounds offers sewer, water, and electric to all their sites, some…read morecement parking pads but the rest are nice and level, and great spacing between the sites. There are plenty of nicely mowed trails to hike, short and long distances, and it's set in beautiful limestones bluffs and tall grass prairies. So quiet, far away from any busy road.

We went here camping in the Horse Camping portion (Albany Equestrian Campground). The camp sight…read morewas very spacious. I was pleasantly surprised by how well maintained the camp sight was. The grass portion was well groomed, the roadways were in good repair and all campers were well behaved. The only thing different I could have hoped for was cooler temperatures which obviously isn't the park's responsibility. As most who come here to this camp sight already have their own camper/trailer, the Latrobe was basic. If you want to take a shower, you just get In your car and go over to the regular camp sight. We were able to do a bit of tubing on the Volga River just 2-3 minutes walk from our campsight. The River was a bit low due to lack of recent rains but again, that is not the park's responsibility. There is a wine tasting place just 200 yards outside the main entrance which is a nice place to visit. Fayette, Iowa is just 10 minutes south by car with a very well stocked Dollar General story (kind of like a mini-Target.

Beautiful trails among scenic bluffs and creek bed! We camped in the campground and enjoyed the…read morebeauty that surrounded us. Big Spring flows from the rocks near the camp ground and is a quick hike to visit. The only drawback was the bathrooms- vaulted toilets seem like an unnecessary inconvenience when there is running water in the sinks and showers. Overall, this is a great state park to visit!

This larger park is between US-53 and the Black River which feeds into the Mississippi not far from…read morehere. Only one block wide but five blocks long, the park includes a set of tennis courts, baseball field, playground and a large picnic pavilion with a steam locomotive set. The train set is accessible and in very good condition for those who appreciate such things. There isn't an active or obvious decommissioned rail line here so it's interesting that a huge steam locomotive is here on display. The park is in reasonable condition with too much litter and dumping from people who should know better. This was a nice break from exploring the area and in the warmer months, I'm sure the place is packed. [Review 20709 overall - 278 in Wisconsin - 1690 of 2023.]

While staying in la Cross doing my rail fan thing I stumbled on this park that has an old steam…read morelocomotive and caboose next to a rail tower that looks like it was moved to the property. The steam locomotive has Burlington route markings and the tower has grand crossing which is a real railroad tower that that was moved to the park. Rail fair takes place on the third Saturday in July with $5 tours of the tower and locomotive.

Beautiful gardens and historic sites…read more Recently attended the Prairie Villa Rendezvous.

Nice little island. Lots of nice things to see and the view was great. I really like the sculpture…read moregarden and the presidential tree walk that the island has to offer.